My expectations weren’t exactly the highest, as one might imagine. So picture my surprise when I found myself having a good time almost immediately.

In trying to understand what had changed, it became clear that , the story is simply much better this time round. I found it more interesting. I definitely enjoyed the surprises within the script as well as the elaboration on the backstory of several of the main characters. I’m also quite sure that there weren’t any sentimental moments or attempts at humour that felt hugely forced. I imagine that everything was that little bit better because the actors were more comfortable in their roles.

I still stand by the truth that I didn’t enjoy Guardians Of The Galaxy (2014), but I’m also sure that my appreciation of Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2. isn’t a result of me learning to ignore any of the humour that doesn’t quite land or ignore any general corniness within the script. I really did like the new characters, find the story more fun, and appreciated the special effects that little bit extra.

With all that said I now say, watch it because it’s good and especially if you’re sure I’m not completely mad.

Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel are among the stars of Guardians Of The Galaxy. A James Gunn directed action / adventure / comedy about a group of intergalactic criminals and their attempt to stop a fanatical warrior with plans to purge the universe.

The main reason I wanted to see this film is because I’d really like to watch the last two Avengers movies but I’m behind. And I’ve never been one to jump to watch a sequel before seeing the films that came before.

I’m quite sure that the following opinion isn’t popular but as Gunn’s movie played, it wasn’t too long before the thought ‘I don’t think I like this.’ came to mind. As I wondered why, several reasons began to surface. Reason one, it feels quite a lot like Star Trek. I’m not saying that I hate Star Trek, but I’m also not overly enthused by it either. Reason two, some of the humorous moments work but there’s a bunch of others that feel as though the script is trying too hard to be amusing. So much so that several attempts to make the audience laugh came across to me as forced. Thirdly, I found that out of the four or five main sentimental moments, I only really appreciated two of them; the one on earth and the one involving Groot. The rest just felt rather corny, for want of a better phrase.

As for the things that stood out most in a positive way, those include Zoe Saldana’s physical performance, Karen Gillian as the less favoured sibling, and of course, the visual effects that show what space actually looks like.

Knowing Guardians Of The Galaxy as a movie that many people love, I mostly see it as a reminder that fantasy is definitely not my favourite genre. Especially when most of the actors are sporting plenty of make up / prosthetics. Nevertheless, to everyone who had a great time, I’m seriously very pleased for you.

Directed by Michael Dowse, Bautista plays a detective who recruits his Uber driver (Nanjiani) into an unexpected night of adventure…

The pairing of Bautista and Nanjiani looks like a great idea with very entertaining results. Just the previous day I mentioned having not seen Bautista in many roles where he’s the lead. And now we have two in a row. I’m definitely not in any way complaining.

From directors Nick Bruno and Troy Quane, Spies In Disguise is the story of Lance and Walter. Lance is a super cool charming spy, and Walter invents the impressive gadgets Lance uses. When an event happens, they must learn to rely on each other like never before. Why? In order to save the world, of course.

Will Smith, Tom Holland, Rashida Jonesa and Karen Gillan make up the key cast…

I definitely noticed the unflappable confidence on Lance Sterling’s face throughout this trailer. I’ll see this one because of Smith and to find out if Sterling ever brakes a sweat, looks concerned or even a little scared.

Starring Kevin Hart, Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black and Karen Gillan, I found Jumanji – Welcome To The jungle to be OK. It’s just the kind of silly fun that kids will likely love most. It’s well modernised and there were some amusing moments, especially courtesy of Jack Black’s portrayal of a teenage girl and Kevin Hart’s one-liners.

The reason that Jumanji is OK and not great is because by the end, I felt as though something was missing from the movie. Perhaps it’s substance, heart, character development or a mixture and then some, but for me, the amusing and clever moments aside, something is definitely missing at the very core. It doesn’t help that I wasn’t wholly convinced of Nick Jonas’s acting skills.

As I watched the film, the jungle setting did have me reminiscing about how much fun I had while watching Kong Skull Island (2017). Overall, I say watch Jumanji –Welcome To The Jungle if you’re curious enough. It may just be the kind of silly fun you need.